Fastening and protecting device for trunk-lids



(No Model.)

0. T. WILTI, Jr. FASTENING AND PROTECTING DEVICE FOR TRUNK LIDS. No. 459,505.

Patented Sept. 15, 1891.

0., WASN UNHED rates CHARLES T. WILT, JR,

LATENT -rrrcni.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FASTENING AND PROTECTING DEVICE FOR TRUNK-LIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,505, dated September 15, 1891.,

Application filed February 18, 1891. Serial No. 381,784. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that 1, CHARLES T. WILT, J r., of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Protecting and Fastening Devices for the Lids or Falls of Trunks, Sample-Cases, Traveling-Bags, and Similar Articles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to devices used by manufacturers of trunks, sample-cases, traveling-bags, and other similar, articles for looking and securing together the lid of a tray or the fall of a sample-case or travelingbag to the front or end walls thereof, and to means for protecting the lid or fall from injury or breakage due to rough handling.

Heretofore great difficulty has been encountered in the use of all fastening devices in this class of manufactured article by reason of the fact that the lid has usually been constructed of pasteboard, which after being in use a comparatively short time easily be-.

comes torn and broken away at those points on the lid where attachment is made. It is my purposein the present invention to so construct a clip, engaging hook, and a protecting-plate as to prevent or reduceto the minimum breakage or tearing of the parts by means of simple, durable, and inexpensive devices which may be readily and cheaply secured in position.

To this end the invention consists, first, of a metal clip adapted to be applied to both sides of the front wall of the tray, with its central or loop portion extending above the top edge thereof; second, of a locking-hook pivotedly connected to the lid or fall and adapted to engage the loop of the clip when said lid or fall is in the closed position; third, of a metal protecting-plate of a shape that will permit of its being readily applied to the upper portion of the lid or fall and also bended around the edge of the lid and applied to the under side thereof, and means for attaching the said plate to the lid.

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents in plan View a portion of a trunk tray and lid provided with my in vention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view taken upon lines 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. lis a plan view of the blank constituting the protecting-plate.

In the drawings, A represents the tray as a whole, of which a is the front wall, and a the lid.

13 is a U-shaped clip provided with relatively wide fiat arms 17 and having apertures b through each of the side arms, through which the rivets b may pass in order to secure the said clip B to the front walla of the tray. As shown in the drawings, the two arms are on either side of the wall of the tray to give greater firmness to the loop of the clip. The clip B is made of metal and of sufficient thickness to prevent its being readily bended out of shape or position. The loop 19 is relatively narrower in width than the width of the arms 5, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, in order that any strain upon the annular loop 12 may be borne by the wider arms I), and the tendency to break the pasteboard or front wall of the tray at the point of attachment is avoided.

The lid a is cutaway to provide a suitable recess a therein, through which the loop I) may pass when the lid rests upon the top edge of the front wall of the tray. It is very desirable to protect the margins of the recess or cut-away portion a as well as to protect the adjacent portions of the front edge or margins of the lid. This I accomplish by means of the metal blank C. (Shown more particularly in Fig. at.) This blank comprises an enlarged shank 0, provided with an aperture 0' therethrough, and a forward generally rectangular-shaped portion 0 This latter portion of the blank is out upon the lines indicated at 0 thus forming three tongues, the two outer ones being lettered c and the center one 0 The tongue 0 is shorter in length than the tongues 0 The blank C and the tongues are preferably stamped out in one operation.

D is a hook, the forward end (Z of which is ICO bended and shaped in the usual manner and adapted for engagement with the loop 19 of the clip B. The rear or shank end is enlarged andis provided at d with an aperture through which it may be suitably secured to the lid.

E is a rivet which is passed through a suitable aperture in the lid and through the aperture c and d in the plate and hook, respectively, by which the rear ends of said plate and hook are permanently secured to the lid and at the same time a pivotal con nection of the hook D on the rivet is afforded.

In applying the blank 0 to the lid I first secure the rear end thereof to the lid by passing a rivet E through the aperture in the lid, the aperture 61' of the hook, and the aperture 0 of the plate and rivet the free end down in a familiar manner, taking care, however, that the hook D may loosely swivel or turn upon the rivet E. I next bend the tongues or lips c downwardly, stretching the plate 0, and then rearwardly, so that said lips shall completely cover the marginal edge of the lid, as shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. I then cut out or form the recess a in the ed e ofthe lid, and then bend down the central lip or tongue 0 over and around the inner wall of said recess, as shown in Fig. 3. IVhile this is the preferred method of applying the plate 0, yet it may be applied, of course, by first fastening the outer ends by bending and afterward fastening the rear ends by the rivet E. I prefer the former method, because I am thus enabled to stretch the plate 0 somewhat and effect a more perfect and closer fit of the plate upon the lid.

It will be observed that the recess a in the lid is of such width as to nicely fit over the edge of the upper portion of the arms I) of the clip, and also that the two side walls of the recess (t2 are faced or edged by the adjacent edges or margins of the tongues c, which latter thus protect the wall of said recess from wear and injury, and also prevent any lateral movement either of the plate 0 on the lid or of the lid when closed with respect to the tray.

My device is very simple, cheap, durable, and easy of attachment.

It will alsobe observed that by the peculiar construction of the blank 0 and its attachment, as described, to the lid a the lid is stiffened and materiallystrengthened thereby. In the former construction, where the shank of the hook was simply riveted to the lid and the forward end secured in the loop of a staple attached to the front wall of the tray it would frequently happen when the trunk was upturned, as is usually the case when being transported by rail, that the weight of the contents of the tray would come upon the lid, and the frequent jars would cause the lid to break usually at one of three places-to wit, at the point of attachment of the hook to the lid by the rivet, at the point of fastening of the staple by the hook, and near the inner edge where the hinge of the lid is attached thereto. By the present construction the first two evils will be entirely remedied, as the weight would be borne bya relatively wide portion of the lid, owing to the presence of the relatively long plate 0.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. As a new article of manufacture, a protecti'ng-plate having at one of its ends three tongues or lips by which said plate may be secured over and to the marginal edge of the lid or fall of a trunk-tray, traveling-bag, or-

similar article, the marginal lips being substantially longer than the intermediate lip or tongue, in combination with a hook also se cured to said lip or fall, and a clip to engage said hook, substantially as described.

2. The protecting-plateC, having at one end three tongues or lips of different lengths, whereby said plate may be secured over and to the marginal edge of the lid or fall of a trunk-tray, traveling bag, or similar article, the central and shorter lip or tongue being bent down between the outer and longer lips or tongues, in combination with the hook D, also secured to the said lid or fall, and the clip 13, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the lid of a tray having a recess a as shown, of a plate 0, secured at one end by rivet or other suitable means to said lid and having at its forward ends tongues or lips c ,bent over and around the forward edge of the lid, and provided also with the lip 0 between the lips o said lip 0 being bent over andaround the rear wall of the said recess 0. substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with a tray and lid, of

a hook D, rivet E, plate 0, having lips 0 c, said plate being secured at one end to the lid by the same rivet which secures the rear end of the hook D to the said lid, the lips being bent over the edge of the lid, and a clip B, secured to the front bar of the tray and adapted for engagement with the moving end of said hook, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my'signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. I'VILT, JR.

W'itnesses:

TAYLOR E. BROWN, GEORGE W. HIGGINS, J r.

IIO 

